Cleveland Sports Forum

The Rays have signed free-agent infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year, $7.5 million contract, according to CBSSports.com, adding another name to a crowded infield picture. The deal has not been confirmed by the club.

A two-time All-Star with the Indians, the 29-year-old Cabrera hit .241/.307/.387 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs last year for the Tribe and Nationals. Cabrera played shortstop almost his entire career before the trade, but he spent a lot of time at second base with Washington.

The A's reached a deal to bulk up their middle infield by acquiring Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar from the Rays.

In the trade, the Rays received catcher John Jaso, shortstop prospect Daniel Robertson and outfield prospect Boog Powell. Jaso played parts of three seasons for Tampa Bay from 2008-11. Robertson finished 2014 as Oakland's top prospect, while Powell was ranked No. 11.

10 players who could be poised to break out in 2015

Every season has players who come of age. In 2014, the list was a long one: Michael Brantley, Lucas Duda, Dallas Keuchel, Christian Yelich... and it goes on.

So who do you have in 2015?

By Richard Justice / MLB.com | 9:00 AM ET

1. Steven Souza Jr., RF, Rays

The Rays acquired the 25-year-old in the three-team Wil Myers trade and hope he'll be a middle-of-the-order presence from day one. In 96 games at Triple-A for the Nationals last season, he had 25 doubles, 18 home runs and a 1.022 OPS.

2. Joc Pederson, CF, Dodgers

He's only 22 and already has sprinted through the Minor Leagues with eye-popping performances at the last three levels. One of the reasons the Dodgers were comfortable trading Matt Kemp is that they believe Pederson's 33 home runs and 1.017 OPS at Triple-A last season make him the real deal. Right behind him is 20-year-old SS Corey Seager, whose debut may be pushed back a year because of the trade for Jimmy Rollins, but Dodger fans will be seeing a lot of these two kids the next few seasons.

3. Anthony Gose, CF, Tigers

He's 24 years old and coming off a season in which he hit .226 in 94 games for the Blue Jays. The Tigers, who acquired Gose in November, aren't sure what kind of offensive numbers he'll put up, but they got him to replace Austin Jackson and believe he'll play a Gold Glove-caliber center field. They also think he might contribute offensively, but his first job is run prevention.

4. Aaron Sanchez, RHP, Blue Jays

Sanchez has one of the best young arms on the planet and was virtually unhittable during 24 games for the Blue Jays last season. At 22, he seems penciled in for a spot in the rotation this season unless the Blue Jays ask him to fill the closer's role temporarily. Either way, he's one of many reasons the Blue Jays are so optimistic about 2015.

5. Marcus Semien, SS, A's

A's general manager Billy Beane traded five of his seven 2014 All-Stars in an effort to replenish his farm system and add pitching depth. In the wheeling and dealing he also got Semien, who will have every chance to be Oakland's everyday shortstop. Only 24, Semien has played just 85 big league games, but flew through the Minors, putting up nice numbers at every stop.

6. Carlos Rodon, LHP, White Sox

The White Sox were thrilled that this hard-throwing left-hander out of North Carolina State was still on the board when they used the third pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft to nab him. Rodon pitched nine Minor League games last season, and those might be the only nine he ever pitches. He has both polish and power, and he seems to be absolutely ready for the big leagues.

7. Andrew Heaney, LHP, Angels

Speaking of prized pitching prospects, this 23-year-old left-hander has become part of the pitching inventory Angels general manager Jerry DiPoto has acquired the last two offseasons. Heaney could earn the No. 5 spot in the rotation in 2015. If he stays healthy, he's widely seen as a top-of-the-rotation guy.

8. Ryan Rua, LF, Rangers

In last season's rash of injuries, the Rangers discovered they had a wave of talented Minor Leaguers on the way. Rua, 24, seems likely to open the 2015 season with the big league club. He's just two years removed from Class A ball, but he's posted an .854 OPS in four Minor League seasons.

9. Ty Blach, LHP, Giants

The Giants have a wave of young pitching on the way, and doesn't that sound familiar? Blach, 24, finished last season at Double-A, and the Giants now see him as rotation insurance in case one of their veterans is injured.

10. Mike Fiers, RHP, Brewers

He's one of the best-kept secrets in baseball. Fiers was nothing special in his first two cracks at the big leagues, but last season threw up dazzling numbers (2.13 ERA in 14 appearances, including 10 starts). The Brewers are going to let six starters compete for five jobs this spring, and while veterans Matt Garza and Kyle Lohse are ahead of him, they're also in the final year of their contracts. Fiers' time is coming.

Beane fearless when it comes to remaking A's

By Richard Justice / MLB.com | 4:15 PM ET

OK, what do you think of your Oakland Athletics now? They may end up being players in the American League West after all. Their pitching is deep, their lineup competitive. Isn't that the bottom line in all of this?

Don't you love A's general manager Billy Beane? You have to, right? It's not just his vision, insight and judgment, either. There are plenty of those things, but there's something else, probably his single best trait: He's absolutely fearless.

He also has the ability to ignore the noise. He's been doing this stuff long enough that he trusts his judgment and that of his assistants. That's the lesson of this offseason in which Beane has taken the A's apart and put them back together again.

And he has put them back together. That's the thing that Saturday's trade, in which the A's acquired Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar from the Rays for catcher John Jaso, Minor League shortstop Daniel Robertson and outfielder Boog Powell, made clear. The A's are not rebuilding. The A's were never rebuilding.

It was easy to interpret otherwise. Beane has traded five 2014 All-Stars, including his best player (third baseman Josh Donaldson) and one of his best starters (Jeff Samardzija). He also dealt Brandon Moss and Derek Norris, in addition to dealing away slugger Yoenis Cespedes during the '14 campaign.

Beane set out to do two things: replenish his farm system and keep the Major League team competitive. He appears to have done that.

Where the A's line up in the AL West is tougher to know. The Angels and Mariners appear to have separated themselves from the pack. The Rangers are an unknown quantity, given the number of players recovering from injuries. The Astros are getting better, but there's still work to do.

Then, there are the A's.

First, there's pitching. Oakland has quality arm stacked upon quality arm -- from Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir to Jesse Chavez, Drew Pomeranz and two of the new kids, Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin. With Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin expected to pitch again at some point in 2015, the A's could have a rotation as good as any.

This collection of arms is so impressive it appears similar to the pitching Beane acquired three years ago when he last remade his roster. That remake resulted in 94 victories and a division championship.

Beane has a completely new set of corner infielders, with Brett Lawrie taking over at third and Ike Davis at first, and added veteran Billy Butler at designated hitter. He put what might be the finishing touch, for now, on his Opening Day lineup on Saturday.

In Escobar, he has a defensive shortstop who was as good as any in the AL in 2013. His defensive range declined in '14, but the A's believe he'll be the guy he has been for most of his career.

As for Zobrist, if there was ever a guy born to play for the A's, it's this one. He can play almost any position, most of them well. He's coming off a season in which he had 34 doubles, 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases and 75 walks.

He could open the season as Oakland's starting second baseman, or he could move to left field. Or he could do both -- depending on the matchup.
Zobrist gives A's manager Bob Melvin great flexibility in playing the matchup game. Rather than count on 24-year-old Marcus Semien, who was acquired from the White Sox, to be the everyday shortstop, Semien may end up with a role similar to Zobrist's. He, too, can play short or second -- and almost certainly will end up taking balls in the outfield, as well.

Beane found a willing dance partner in Matt Silverman, the Rays' new president of baseball operations. He's also remaking his roster this offseason, having dealt Wil Myers, Ryan Hanigan, Jeremy Hellickson, Joel Peralta, Sean Rodriguez and now Zobrist and Escobar.

The Rays will be younger in 2015, but like the A's, they have enough pitching to stay competitive. If rookie Steven Souza, who was acquired in the Myers trade, is as good as the Rays believe, they could compete in an AL East that could be the closest division in baseball.

As for the A's, let's not presume Beane is done dealing, because he never is. But he appears to have a team good enough to play meaningful games in September. It is not going to be widely picked to finish ahead of the Angels or Mariners, but that stuff is meaningless.

The A's have made so many changes that it'll take some time to figure out how all the pieces fit. Likewise, the players will need some time to adjust to one another and make the transition from being a collection of interesting pieces to a team.

That's where Melvin figures into the equation. No manager is better at transforming a group of individuals into a cohesive team.

Beane will freely acknowledge that no trade comes with a guarantee, that all of them have some risk. Yes, even good, smart, sound decisions sometimes turn out all wrong.

It was a thing of beauty last summer when Beane went all in, making trades to acquire Jon Lester (for Cespedes), Samardzija and Jason Hammel. He appeared to have given the A's a decent shot of playing deep into October. Turns out, he was wrong.

The A's were 66-41 and leading the AL West by 2 1/2 games on the morning he made the last of those deals. They fell apart, going 22-33 and losing 12 1/2 games in the standings.

They made the playoffs for a third straight year, but lost an incredible 9-8, 12-inning Wild Card Game in Kansas City. That was a fitting ending to a bitterly disappointing second half.

Beane then looked at a roster that had finished 10 games behind the Angels and was going to lose Lester and Hammel in free agency. He didn't think the A's could be competitive in 2015 by being timid. At the Winter Meetings, amid a swirl of deals, his hotel suite looked like a bunker with food wrappers and soda cans strewn about.

In the middle of it all was Beane. He did a good imitation of a guy having the time of his life. He seemed to love that people were doubting him and that there was this notion of the A's sliding off the map.

That was never what he had in mind. He said that all along, and he reminded us of that on Saturday.

Excited about Sox moves, Abreu eyes playoff berth

Slugger looking forward to working with LaRoche

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | January 8, 2015 + 56 COMMENTS

CHICAGO --

Jose Abreu readily admits that Rick Hahn's aggressive offseason personnel maneuvers have directly influenced his continued improvement with English comprehension.

The thrice-honored 2014 American League Rookie of the Year (BBWAA, Sporting News, Players Choice), overall Rookie of the Year according to the GIBBYs and AL All-Star has been paying close attention to the plethora of impact moves made by the White Sox general manager during the Hot Stove period. With the trade for Jeff Samardzija and the free-agent signings of Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera, the White Sox first baseman studied the reports via Twitter, read articles online or simply watched coverage on MLB Network.

Julio Estrada, Abreu's friend and assistant, would see a White Sox move and text Abreu, but most of the time, Abreu would text him back that he already knew as he was watching the news. Abreu took time from his workouts in Miami to talk with MLB.com about his excitement for the 2015 White Sox and the lofty expectations placed upon the team.

"I'm preparing for a longer season," said Abreu, with the assistance of Estrada. "I'm not preparing for 162 games. I want playoffs in Chicago.

"Individual accolades won't matter. At the end, we will be remembered for what we accomplished as a team, and as a team, we have business to finish this year and years to come."

Abreu's .317 average, 36 homers and 107 RBIs, not to mention his Major League-leading .581 slugging percentage, did more than back up the six-year, $68 million deal agreed upon when Abreu came from Cuba as a free agent and joined the White Sox. His proven excellence contributed to the team taking a giant step forward in its reshaping process, accelerating the plan by at least one season.

Adding LaRoche figures to take away some of Abreu's first-base time, although Abreu is expected to be at his position for around the 109 games he played there last season, per Hahn. Whatever the first base/designated hitter breakdown, Abreu understands the benefits of having an established cleanup hitter and the added plus of both men staying fresh longer into the season with the defensive split.

Because of his immediate excellence, people might forget that Abreu will soon begin just his second big league season. So the 27-year-old knows there's more to learn from an established presence such as LaRoche, presenting a similar sort of relationship he fostered with Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko last season.

"Adam Dunn helped me with a lot of baseball knowledge and I picked up a lot of things from Paulie in terms of his leadership role and in terms of baseball," Abreu said. "LaRoche has had a great career, and he has more baseball ahead of him. It's going to be beneficial for both sides sharing first base/DH duties for the benefit of the team and the whole organization."

Documentaries on the Discovery Channel, History Channel and National Geographic also have held Abreu's interest this offseason. But it was Abreu's viewing of the World Series between the Giants and Royals, coupled with Hahn's moves, that has him ready to leave Miami and start Spring Training today.

"Kansas City was a team we played so many times that I knew a lot of players on the team, especially the Latin players. I felt like, 'Come on, I want to be there someday,'" Abreu said. "Winning games for the White Sox and obviously reaching the postseason, that's my dream."

Amid flurry of offseason moves, White Sox spending wisely

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | 1:03 PM ET + 1 COMMENTS

CHICAGO --

The best way to describe the White Sox offseason to date would be flexible aggressiveness.

There's no reason to delve further into the aggressiveness portion. The seven impact moves made by general manager Rick Hahn speak for themselves.

As for the flexible part of the maneuvers, closer David Robertson's four-year, $46 million deal stands as the only one that potentially could hamstring the White Sox if things went sideways. Then again, this is the same Robertson who saved 39 of 43 chances last season in his first year taking over as closer for the legendary Mariano Rivera. The former Yankees closer has a career 2.81 ERA and a 12.0 strikeout per nine innings average over seven seasons.

Hahn's goal was to build a contender as soon as 2015. But he wasn't going to jeopardize the future with what could be viewed as bad contracts.

"That's the ideal situation, but you are not always able to put yourself in that situation if you want to convert on the player," Hahn said during a recent interview. "There were a few situations this offseason where we felt we were stretching, but it made sense in terms of the overall product. Our hope even with these additions, while the payroll has risen, our hope is that we are able to keep this momentum going and continue to build upon it going forward.

"Our payroll is going to continue to increase in the coming years would be the hope. It makes it easier to fit in each of these arrangements should something go wrong with one of them."

With the payroll set to eclipse $110 million, the assumption was that the money spent already has risen well beyond the projected '15 number. Hahn quickly pointed out the salary number isn't too far over the original budget he submitted, which is where he feels White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf ultimately wanted to go.

"We got a little bit of distance from where he wanted this thing to wind up," said Hahn of Reinsdorf. "But again, it's a combination of his own aggressiveness and the support we've received thus far and the feedback we received thus far that have made him comfortable."

Both Robertson and outfielder Melky Cabrera received limited no-trade protection, with the White Sox rarely giving full no-trade clauses. Neither of them would be described as extensive protection, per Hahn.

"It's something we hadn't done in a little while," said Hahn of the partial no-trades. "At the same time, you have to be cognizant of the fact that you are negotiating against an open market.

"If somebody out there is providing them with those levels of protection and that's important to a player, that's something if you want to sign the player, you need to consider. It's more a personal sense of comfort for them that they are not ultimately going to wind up in a position or a city that they don't want to be in."

This feeling is shared as a team by the White Sox, who had big contracts that didn't work out in the past play a role in leading to this reshaping.

Is this becoming a White Sox forum ?

It does appear so. Or at least a White Sox folder.

It is called the " Just Baseball: Major League teams OTHER THAN the Tribe"

I don't see many posts about the "other" teams here.

Just pointing out some reasons why the team should not be complacent this off season while other teams, especially in this division, are attempting to put the best team on the field. In my opinion, we've lost a lot of ground. if Moss is the best we can do, we could be looking up in the standings.

The articles effect this division and its news worthy of note. This has to be the most boring winter (off-season) Indian news to date in years. It's even difficult finding any winter ball notes to post because the Indians have no one of interest playing. Those that are playing have not done very well at all except for Soto. I hope this winter of complacency does not come back to bite us in the ass in 2015.

You could talk about Billy Beane and how he's kickin' ass and takin' names this off season.

You could talk about Billy Beane and how he's kickin' ass and takin' names this off season.

I've posted about him a few times as well Preller in San Diego and the Royals. I guess we can't accuse them or the Rays for being stagnant this off season. The Padres, Rays, Chisox, and A's have completlely changed their entire teams around.

Cuban pitcher Lopez agrees to record deal with D-backs

By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | January 13, 2015 + 103 COMMENTS

Cuban right-handed pitching prospect Yoan Lopez has agreed to a record-setting $8.27 million bonus with the D-backs. The club has not confirmed the deal, but "it's all pending a physical right now," D-backs general manager Dave Stewart said.

The deal would be the largest under new international guidelines. The Angels set the mark last week when they gave Cuban infielder Roberto Baldoquin an $8 million bonus.

The Dodgers, Padres, Yankees and Reds were among the teams to express interest in signing the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Lopez. One source said the hurler turned down a $9 million offer from another club because he believed Arizona was the best fit. Lopez was said to be impressed with Stewart and chief baseball officer Tony La Russa, and he believes the quickest path to the Major Leagues runs through Arizona. Lopez is expected to be invited to big league Spring Training camp.

"I like what I saw and we're going to give him an opportunity to compete for a spot this spring," Stewart said. "All of our prospect pitchers will more than likely start at Double-A. That's more than likely. I don't know that to be a fact at this point, and if that's the case and if he does not make our team out of Spring Training, we'll send him wherever our prospects are and have them all come along together."

Lopez throws a cut fastball, a changeup, a curveball and a slider, but he is best known for a fastball that travels in the 93-95 mph range. He played three seasons in Cuba for Isla de la Juventud in Serie Nacional, the island's top league. Lopez sported a 3.12 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 11 walks in 49 innings in his final season before defecting.

Lopez established residency in Haiti and was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball late last year. He held a showcase for all teams in November and participated in private workouts in the weeks that followed. Lopez, who was cleared by the United States government last week, has been working out in the Dominican Republic.

Because he is under 23 and did not play in a Cuban professional league for at least five seasons, Lopez is subject to MLB's international signing guidelines. In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allotted a $700,000 base and a bonus pool based on the team's record during the previous season that it can spend during the international signing period, which started on July 2.

The D-backs have been active on the international market since the period began, and the completion of the Lopez deal would put them more than 15 percent above their allotted bonus pool and into the maximum penalty range for the 2014-15 signing period. The penalty includes a 100-percent tax on the pool overage and prohibits the team from signing any pool-eligible player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods.

"He's got great mound presence, good arm and he's got good stuff," Stewart said. "It's like having two first-round picks in the same year."

Last month, the D-backs finalized a six-year, $68.5 million deal with outfielder Yasmany Tomas, who is also from Cuba.

Lopez is represented by Miguel Alvarez of M & M Sports Agency.

The Cubs signed right-hander Daniel Bard to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, according to WAPT Sports. The report notes that if Bard makes the big league club, his base salary would be $1 million plus incentives based on appearances for 2015. He would likely be used as a reliever in Chicago.

The Braves pulled the trigger on another major trade.

The Atlanta Braves continued their organization overhaul Wednesday night with a trade sending catcher Evan Gattis and minor league reliever James Hoyt to the Houston Astros for three minor league players.

The Braves receive two pitching prospects – Michael Foltynewicz and Andrew Thurman, along with third base prospect Rio Ruiz.

The Braves had Gattis penciled in as the left fielder, but the preference all along was to try and take advantage of his value. Gattis has four years of control before he becomes a free agent. The Astros will likely have Gattis be a full-time designated hitter, with an occasional appearance behind the plate or in left field.

Atlanta will have to look for a left fielder. They will have newly signed outfielders Dian Toscano and Zolio Almonte in camp, but they are not considered to be ready to start at the big league level. The Braves will likely look at the free agent market for a potential starter.

Gattis has been a great story for the last two years. He was a 23rd round pick in the 2010 draft out of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Gattis quickly rose up the minor league ladder displaying tremendous power. He made the Atlanta opening day roster in 2013 and hit 21 home runs while playing behind the plate, at first base and in left field.

After the departure of Brian McCann via free agency, Gattis became the everyday catcher last season. Gattis hit .263 with 22 home runs and 52 RBI in 369 at bats. He was limited to only 93 at catcher, with 89 starts.

Holt was a free agent signed out of the Mexican League in 2012. The 28-year-old right-handed reliever split last season between Mississippi and Gwinnett last season. He had a 3.17 ERA in 52 games with 77 strikeouts in 59.2 innings.

Foltynewicz, a 23-year-old right-hander who stands 6-4 and weighs 220 pounds, was a first round pick in 2010 out of Minooka High School in Illinois. He spent the last two months of last season in the big leagues with the Astros. Foltynewicz pitched in 16 games and had a 5.30 ERA. For Triple-A Oklahoma City, Foltynewicz pitched in 21 games (18 starts) and had a 5.08 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 102.2 innings pitched.

Thurman is a 23-year-old right-hander who is 6-3, 225. He was a second round pick in 2013 out of UC-Irvine. Last season, Thurman pitched for Quad Cities in the Midwest League (Low-A). He pitched in 26 games (20 starts) and had a 7-9 record with a 5.38 ERA. He allowed 122 hits in 115.1 innings, with 40 walks and 107 strikeouts.

Ruiz will turn 21 in May. He’s 6-2 and 215 pounds and is a left-handed hitter. Ruiz was taken in the fourth round of the 2012 draft out of Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente, California. Last season in High-A at Lancaster he hit .293 with a .387 on base percentage, 11 home runs and 77 RBI.

Before the trade, MLB.com ranked Foltynewicz as the Astros’ fourth-best prospect and Ruiz was rated ninth. Baseball America recently ranked Foltynewicz as the third-best prospect and had Ruiz ranked eighth. BA also labeled Ruiz as having the best strike-zone discipline in the Houston farm system, while Foltynewicz had the best fastball in the Astros organization.

Prior to the 2014 season, Baseball America had Foltynewicz ranked fourth, Ruiz ranked 11th and Thurman ranked 15th.